Cincinnati Breweries Guide
The metro's craft beer scene, mapped. Where to find a full kitchen, a patio, live music, or just a great pour.
25 breweries in the Cincinnati area
Rhinegeist Brewery
Cincinnati
The brewery most people mean when they say Cincinnati beer. A vast taproom on the top floor of the old Christian Moerlein bottling plant, with cornhole, ping pong and a rooftop bar overlooking OTR.
Go up. The rooftop is the whole point and most first-timers never find the stairs.
MadTree Brewing
Cincinnati
A 30,000 square foot taproom, kitchen and beer garden in Oakley. Full menu of pizzas and shareables, a genuine patio, and one of the most family- and dog-friendly rooms in the metro.
The parking lot beer garden is the draw in summer. Weekend brunch is served.
Urban Artifact
Cincinnati
Fruit and sour specialists inside a converted 1800s church in Northside, with the sanctuary turned into a music venue. One of the more genuinely unusual rooms you will drink in.
Check the gig listings before you go. The church nave doubles as the stage.
Braxton Brewing Company
Covington
Northern Kentucky's anchor brewery, built in a family garage and now a two-story taproom and rooftop a few minutes over the river from downtown Cincinnati.
Easy walk from Roebling Bridge if you are staying on the Ohio side.
Mellotone Beer Project
Cincinnati
Opened in the former St. Paul's German Evangelical church in OTR, from a former Rhinegeist culture director and a founding Three Weavers brewmaster. Modern American plates against clean, uncomplicated beer.
This is the old Taft's Ale House space. The church interior is worth the visit on its own.
Northern Row Brewery & Distillery
Cincinnati
Brewery and distillery in one room at the top of OTR, making both beer and spirits on site.
One of the few places in the city where the cocktail list is made in the same building.
Streetside Brewery
Cincinnati
Neighborhood taproom in Columbia-Tusculum with a heavy rotation of hazy IPAs and a patio that fills the moment the weather turns.
Food trucks most evenings. Check their socials for the week's lineup.
West Side Brewing
Cincinnati
The taproom that anchored Westwood's revival, with a large covered patio and a steady local crowd.
Pairs well with a walk around Westwood Town Hall across the street.
Brink Brewing Co.
Cincinnati
Small College Hill taproom with an outsized reputation, including a national small brewery of the year win. Approachable beers, no attitude.
Punches well above its size. Worth the trip north even if you are staying downtown.
13 Below Brewery
Cincinnati
A west-side taproom in Sayler Park with room to spread out and a long list on tap. Pretzels and beer cheese rather than a full kitchen, and a neighborhood crowd rather than a destination one.
Far enough west that it stays quiet on a weekend when Over-the-Rhine is packed.
HighGrain Brewing Company
Cincinnati
Brewery and full restaurant in a restored Silverton municipal building, with one of the better kitchens attached to a taproom in the metro.
Treat it as a dinner reservation rather than a taproom stop.
Nine Giant Brewing
Cincinnati
Pleasant Ridge brewpub where the food is taken as seriously as the beer, with a rotating chef-driven menu.
The menu changes often. Ask what is new rather than ordering from memory.
Fifty West Brewing Company
Mariemont
A brewpub, a production brewery and a sand volleyball complex spread along Wooster Pike, with the Little Miami bike trail running past the door.
Bring a bike. The trail access and the volleyball courts are the reason locals go.
Little Miami Brewing Company
Milford
Milford taproom with a second-floor deck over the Little Miami River, and pizza from a proper kitchen.
The upstairs river deck at sunset is the seat to ask for.
Municipal Brew Works
Hamilton
Housed in Hamilton's former municipal building, a civic room turned taproom that helped anchor the city's downtown comeback.
Pair it with a walk along the Great Miami riverfront.
Sonder Brewing
Mason
Large Mason taproom serving the northern suburbs, with a wide range and plenty of room for groups.
The most convenient option if you are looking at homes around Mason or West Chester.
Wooden Cask Brewing Company
Newport
Newport taproom specialising in barrel-aged and traditional European styles, a short walk from the Levee.
Quieter alternative to the Newport on the Levee crowds a few blocks away.
Darkness Brewing
Bellevue
Small, dark-beer-forward taproom on Bellevue's walkable Fairfield Avenue strip.
Fairfield Ave is worth an evening on its own. Park once and walk.
Fretboard Brewing Company
Blue Ash
Music-themed Blue Ash taproom with a stage, a patio and a regular live schedule.
Check the calendar. Most weekends have someone playing.
March First Brewing
Blue Ash
Brewery, distillery and cidery under one roof, so the group that cannot agree on beer is covered.
The spirits and cider are made in-house too, which is rare in the metro.
Fibonacci Brewing Company
Cincinnati
A nano-brewery and urban micro-farm in Mount Healthy, with fire pits, a band stage and a beer garden that has actual goats and chickens in it. Closer to a smallholding that serves beer than a taproom.
Take children. The animals are the reason families keep going back.
Moerlein Lager House
Cincinnati
A full beer hall and restaurant at The Banks, opened in 2012, carrying the revived Christian Moerlein name. Big riverfront patio a short walk from Great American Ball Park and Paycor Stadium.
The obvious pre-game stop. Expect it to be full on a Reds or Bengals day.
Wiedemann Brewing Co, LLC
Cincinnati
The Wiedemann name dates to 1870s Newport and is now brewed again in St. Bernard, in a complex with a tavern-style taproom, a full kitchen, a sundeck and a tree-lined beer garden.
Closed Mondays. The beer garden is the part worth timing a visit around.
Swine City Brewing Company
Fairfield
A Fairfield brewery in the Butler County industrial belt, handy if you are house-hunting around Fairfield, Hamilton or West Chester rather than heading into the city.
Pairs with a Hamilton trip. Municipal Brew Works is about fifteen minutes north.
Narrow Path Brewing Company
Loveland
Loveland taproom a short walk from the Little Miami Scenic Trail, in the middle of the bike-trail culture that defines the town.
Ride the trail in. That is how most locals arrive in summer.
Hours and food offerings change seasonally. Always check a brewery's website before visiting.
Ask Chris for a local's brewery order
Chris keeps a running list of favorites by neighborhood. Say what you're into to get pointed at the right taproom.
